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Uganda & Rwanda

  • Destinations
  • Uganda & Rwanda

Gorilla trekking

Encounter gorillas & other primates

Travel to Uganda and Rwanda for one of Africa’s most memorable wildlife encounters: sitting face to face with mountain gorillas in their unspoilt jungle habitat. Habituated to our presence, these gentle forest giants allow us to join their family for an hour. You’ll sit spellbound as you watch familiar dynamics unfold around you – shy babies, wrestling, mischievous teenagers and watchful parents.

It’s regarded as the most reliable gorilla trekking in Africa. Expert trackers are sent ahead of your hiking party and you’ll be guided by local naturalists for near certain encounters with gorillas and other primates. Accommodation is in the form of safari camps and lodges, set in forest clearings with all the comfort and convenience you need.

Usually included as part of a bigger African itinerary, Uganda and Rwanda both offer gorilla trekking but are quite different travel destinations.

Rwanda is best for an ‘in-and-out’ gorilla trek. You can fly into Kigali and transfer to the Volcanoes National Park within a few hours. You’ll be gorilla trekking the next day.

Uganda offers not just gorilla trekking but also big game safaris and chimpanzee tracking too. Its national parks are home to classic savannah animals such as elephant, buffalo and lion while its forests are filled with other primates, including habituated chimps. You’ll enjoy game drives and river cruises as well as some of the best bird watching in Africa.

Combine your gorilla trekking adventure with a safari in Kenya or Tanzania for the complete African wildlife experience. You can even add an Indian Ocean beach holiday on as well – the perfect ending. Easy air connections link East Africa’s best destinations and you can even put South Africa, Victoria Falls or Botswana onto your Uganda and Rwanda travel plans – ask us how.

Our Top Regions to Visit in Uganda & Rwanda:

  • Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda – it’s challenging hiking but the reward is an almost guaranteed encounter with mountain gorillas in their rainforest home.
  • Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda – a majestic jungle environment that is home to several habituated gorilla families, Bwindi also teems with birds & butterflies.
  • Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda – with 600 bird species it’s a birding paradise but also home to animals ranging from tree-climbing lions to chimpanzees.
  • Kibale Forest, Uganda – explore the heart of a tropical forest: expert guides take you in search of chimps, birds & forest animals.
  • Murchison Falls, Uganda – most famous for its spectacular waterfall, Uganda’s biggest park is also home to big game, chimpanzees & epic bird watching.

Uganda & Rwanda on the map

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Top Experiences

The diversity is almost unbelievable

1. Track Mountain Gorillas

Sitting with a gorilla family in their natural surroundings is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Uganda & Rwanda are the best places in Africa to do it.

2. Go on a Game Drive

Add on a few days in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth or Murchison Falls national parks & you’ll enjoy big game viewing as well – elephants, hippos, antelope & Uganda’s famous tree-climbing lions.

3. Trek for Chimpanzees

Uganda’s forests are home to many other primates & several destinations offer chimp tracking adventures. We’d recommend Kibale Forest Reserve, renowned also for its bird watching & dazzling butterflies.

4. Take a River Cruise

One of the best ways to experience Uganda’s big game parks: cruise along Queen Elizabeth’s bird-filled Kazinga Channel or take a trip to see the River Nile thunder over Murchison Falls.

5. Go Bird Watching

With over 600 species to look for, keen birders should add a few days of Uganda travel to their itinerary. Birding hotspots include Kibale Forest & Queen Elizabeth National Park.

6. Find Tree-Climbing Lions

Everyone wants to see lions on safari; at Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park the big cats have taken to climbing trees, offering you unique photo opportunities.

7. Track Golden Monkey

With only a small number remaining in the world, the Golden Monkey can be found in the foothills of the Volcanic Virunga mountains of Mgahinga in Uganda and in the Parc National De Virunga in Rwanda.

8. Walk the Forest

Uganda & Rwanda are blessed with beautiful ever green forests where different tourism activities like nature walks, waterfall walks or forest walks are conducted.

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Reviews

Safari Online made our fantastic family holiday dream come true!!

Safari Online have been nothing but professional and incredible from the time we made our first enquiry to the last day of our stunning holiday. Nothing was too much trouble for Walter. We are now starting to plan our next family Safari for 2019. Guess who we will be booking with??? Safari Online we hope you are ready!!!!!

Penni (AU)
Professional, quick and top of the edge service!!!

From the very first contact we’re very happy about the respond time and quality of information from safari-online.com. Based on the received first tailor-made quote, which is a weblink with all the details about the flights, photos of the lodges etc. we knew that this is “our” partner for this trip. Our expectations were excelled!!!

Lukas (Germany)
Very helpful good suggestions for holiday ideas always available for questions good organising

Excellent service and they supplied good suggestions for our holiday they also organised all internal flights and arranged check in for us so we had no worries while on holiday. We have had a most memorable holiday staying at wonderful places thanks to Sabrina and Safari Online. Would recommend Safari Online to organise your holiday.

Lorraine (UK)
Best trip I have ever been on. Highly recommend.

Would highly recommend. Safari online asked questions when booking and were efficient and knew exactly what we were looking for in terms of accommodation and animals were wanted to see. Gave advice on a few little extras with no pressure, which we did and am very grateful which make trip even more exciting. Would definitely recommend booking with them.

Walter has always been an excellent communicator and has supported us fully

We have been to Africa for 24 of the last 27 years so know a bit about what is involved. Walter has arranged the details for the last couple of years, and has done a superb job. He is always quick to respond and comes up with answers immediately……..no evasive tactics, always head-on!

Roger (UK)
Professional, patient, efficient and responsive. Met all our travel needs and requirements spot on

Communication was excellent – I asked A LOT of questions and did a ton of research myself and Walter was extremely patient with me and very responsive. he was straight forward and extremely professional. Tour itself was excellent – an incredible experience and one never to be forgotten. Everything was spot on.

Neena
It was a safari of a lifetime and exceeded all of our expectations!

Our mom grew up in Central and South Africa so we had visited the continent many times. My sister and I wanted to take our teens and husbands to Africa to experience the magic. We had a limited budget but big and specific expectations and by some miracle Walter was able to manage both.

Heather (USA)
Safari Online were extremely efficient and absolutely charming to work with.

Our 28-day itinerary took us to South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. A magnificent and unforgettable adventure. Everything ran smoothly and efficiently from the flights, transfers, rides, connections, etc. Absolutely wonderful! Can’t thank them enough!

Ann and Mario (Canada)
An incredibly well organised tour with no hassles whatsoever.

Safari Online understood our needs and was able to present us with sensible options to choose from. It was evident that this tour operator has knowledgable and experienced agents who can arrange a seemless tour. We were provided with a professional online itinary which was comprehensive and easy to use, knew exactely what to expect, and encountered no stumble blocks along the way.

Gwen (AU)
Karina was absolutely instrumental to our safari success.

Our experience with Safari Online was excellent. After becoming very frustrated trying to search for a safari destination on our own, we turned to Karina for help and she was a lifesaver.  We had an amazing safari adventure at the lodge–the experience of a lifetime–and are so grateful for her help. We literally couldn’t have done it without her!

Chris (USA)